Luka Doncic and his first full season with the Los Angeles Lakers has been nothing short of dominant, and according to LeBron James, the reason behind it all comes down to one thing, comfort.
Before his recent Grade two left hamstring strain, Doncic was putting together one of the most efficient and productive seasons in the league, consistently posting elite stat lines while pushing the Lakers firmly into contender territory.
“I could be here for hours talking about what I’m seeing,” James said speaking on his Mind the Game podcast alongside Steve Nash. “I just think his level of comfortability now in the organization has allowed him to play free basketball… I’m comfortable being a Laker. I’m comfortable in my home. I’m comfortable with the guys. I’m comfortable being myself, like opening up. He just seems so free and that does wonders to the game itself when you not only feel free, but feel accepted as well.
“You gotta think, seven, eight years in an organization and you like I plan on being here my whole career, I wanna be here my whole career and then boom, one night it’s over with. It took an adjustment and I just see like a sense of free, like I’m just back to being ‘Luka Magic’ like ‘The Don’ out here just playing a game, in the flow. And every night you look up at the scoreboard and it’s 35-8-7, 40-10-8, 45-11-7. And it’s not like, f— he took 40 shots or 45 shots, it’s like all flow. And to be out there and witnessing it and seeing it. I’ve played with some great players obviously throughout my career and he’s right up there with them. It’s crazy.”
The numbers back it up. Night after night, Doncic has delivered across the board without forcing the issue, something James clearly values after playing alongside some of the game’s all-time greats.
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